Tag: healthy

As you may have noticed, I don’t share my snacks in my meal plans. That’s because I don’t plan them to the degree in which I plan my meals. I like to give myself the freedom and the chance to prove to myself that I can make good choices on a whim. But I thought it might be a good idea to share.

A thing to know about me real quick, is that I love a damn snack. Sweet and salty is my favorite thing, but salt is bad for you blah blah blahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Whatever, I like it. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Before I tell you what I eat now, I suppose I should start with what we used to buy. Because I feel like you can talk to super healthy people who tell you they eat carrots and celery all day, but that’s not hard for them since they were never on the junk food train to begin with. I however, was the conductor of that train.

We love ice cream and popcorn. Not just normal popcorn, but movie theater butter popcorn. We always love Oreos and I really enjoy the unhealthiest trail mix. It’s the one from Chex Mix that is specifically for people who like sweet and salty. It’s called sweet and salty. In case you weren’t sure. It’s not just me who loves snacking, either. My snacking problem is in no way, shape or form my husband’s fault, but I sure as hell piggyback on his cravings. And unfortunately for me, I was not blessed with his ridiculously fast metabolism. So I hate him.

What I eat now:

I buy a lot more fresh fruit and have really committed to taking it to work with me. So as I’m typing this, I’m eating fresh strawberries and blueberries that I prepped last night.

We still eat popcorn a lot, but I’ve started buying Cape Cod brand that is not butter. I’ve tried the white cheddar and sea salt, the salted caramel is on standby in my cupboard. I can eat a decent amount for fairly low point value.

I need something chocolate in the day, but I didn’t want to waste points on something that would just leave me hungry 25 minutes later. When I was at Target the other day, I fell prey to suggestive selling. There was an end cap filled with Think Thin protein bars that were on sale. SALE!!! I can’t get enough of a good sale, it borders being an actual problem. I’m just a few steps away from being a crazy coupon lady. I digress. So I used my WW app to scan the box and see how many points they were, and they’re only 5. The fact that they are high protein and high fiber tells me that they’ll be satisfying. The fact that they had s’mores and salted caramel flavors tells me that it would make me happy.

The best thing I’ve found, is hands down Halo Top ice cream. In case you haven’t heard of it, run to your nearest grocery store, let it thaw a little bit, and dig in. It’s high protein and low cal/sugar, so it costs me hardly any points. I could eat the entire pint for about the same amount of points from one serving Ben & Jerry’s. Since it’s so high protein, something about science makes it less creamy if you just dig in as soon as you pull it out of the freezer. It really is better if you wait.

I have a few recipes to try for snack-y things, but I just haven’t cared to do that just yet. Once I do, of course, I’ll post about it. If anyone has any snacks they love, let me know!

Again, I’m so sorry there are no pictures. This is a terrible way to start a blog. Hang tight, I swear they’re coming. Here’s one of my dog to pull you through.

So this week, my husband is in between semesters so I’m actually cooking almost every day. I actually love to cook and I feel more in control of all of this if I’m the one doing it. My dad is Italian so naturally we always bond over food.

On a personal note, one of the reasons I suddenly got so dedicated to all this is him. He was recently diagnosed with diabetes and I decided that, coupled with the fact that I’m the biggest I’ve ever been, was reason enough to make a change. Also, I will not tell you how much I weigh. Partially because I don’t think it’s the number that matters as much as how you feel, but also because hell no.

Breakfast salad is so good and filling. I wasn’t hungry for a long time after eating that, and it’s so easy to meal prep which I deeply appreciate. The pasta salad was a hit, we wanted to eat it all but I was dedicated to not cooking on Tuesday so I held back. I’ve never had sprouts before this meal, they were VERY hard to get on skewers so I said F it and we threw them on the grill on top of foil. Worked out fine, and they were delicious. I used a raspberry balsamic glaze from Trader Joe’s and really loved that.

Tuesday:

Breakfast – BLT Salad 6pts

Lunch – Overnight Oats

Leftovers

See above. Pro tip for the salad: don’t add the avocado until you’re about to eat it because obviously, avocados get gross and brown really quickly. I just wrap the other half REALLY tightly in saran wrap and that keeps it pretty green until I’m ready to eat it. Oh, and I buy the very small avocados, for storage and sustainability reasons. If I’m only supposed to eat 1/4 of an avocado, wrapping up 3/4 is obnoxious and I won’t do it.

This day was my nephew’s 3rd birthday so I needed something quick and easy before going over for cake and presents. Super quick, super easy, super delicious. An added bonus for me was the easy clean up. I love anything where I can throw foil on a pan and not have to worry about washing it. Also, I made the rice but didn’t necessarily need to since I also made a LOT of veggies without thinking. So there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

That burger was AMAZING. I love portobello burgers, if I’m at a restaurant and see it on a menu, I’m getting it. Hands down. Even Joey (husband) loved it and meat is his favorite food. The loaded mash bake was also great, I just wish that I knew a trick to make the cauliflower less wet. It’s not bad or anything, just a little gross to look at.

with this recipe, but not in a jar, and with spinach because I hate arugula

This was my attempt at knock off knock off Chic Fil A. Joey had a breakfast biscuit from them the other day that I was drooling over so I needed this. It was good, but not very Chick Fil A-y, if you know what I mean. You have to brine the chicken in pickle juice for 8 hours, I used two jars I think, and I did it for 10 because work. But we both liked it a lot, I made knock off Chick Fil A sauce that was really easy and delicious. Its BBQ sauce, honey (I used agave because that’s what I have), mustard, and lemon juice. I’m one of those people who doesn’t measure when I cook, I inherited the ability to eyeball everything from my dad so I’m sorry. The salad was fantastic, I love feta and balsamic. And the watermelon gave it a fresh taste that I liked a lot. I think next time I make it I’ll put less dressing though, it was a little over-powering.

Bless my husband. He did all the hard work of cutting up the cabbage and mango for the tacos. I did a difficult workout this morning and didn’t eat nearly enough so I was laying on the floor with the dog waiting for death while he did this. He’s a winner. And they were very good. Fish tacos is a house favorite in our family, so I was so happy that these passed our snob test. Will make again.

Sunday:

Breakfast – Since it was Mother’s Day, we had brunch at my parent’s. Whole wheat french baguette french toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit salad. Oh and champagne because who needs the extra sugar of orange juice with it?

Today is Tuesday and my parents are STILL talking about how good these burgers were. My mom apparently spent such a long time telling my aunt about them that my aunt texted me to ask about them. A big problem I usually have with turkey burgers is that they’re dry as hell and bland as hell. You really have to season the crap out of them. But not these. The zucchini added the moisture I’ve always wanted. Needless to say, they went quickly. The macaroni salad….. is missing something. We had some leftovers from it last night and will have more tonight, and I am still trying to decide what it is. I know that it’s mayo, but I refuse to add that. I think maybe I’ll put some more garlic powder, and maybe even some dry mustard? I’ll let you know how it goes.

We also had the most delicious cake from Whole Foods because in addition to Mother’s Day, it was also my mom’s birthday. Did not track, did not feel guilty.

So I’ve been planning out my weekly meals for about 3 weeks and it’s not actually been that difficult. I find it easier knowing that I’ve planned out what I’m making, know that I’ve already bought all the ingredients and that I don’t have to worry about figuring it out while trying to get ready for work in the morning.

I have a printed out meal planning sheet I found on Pintrest that I work everything out on before I put it in my actual planner. Because once it’s in there, its LAW.

I apologize for not having any pictures, the first few weeks won’t have any since I just decided to do this blog. But starting week 4 I will have some!

I haven’t gotten to the pro level where I’m consistently planning out my lunches as well, I do occasionally and I’ll let you know when I do. Sometimes, its that I’ve planned on a different breakfast from the oats so I’ll just take those to work with me. Boom.

Full disclosure, my husband is in school to be a physician’s assistant (bragbragbrag), and usually has classes on Tuesday and Thursday, so you should fully expect lazy ass recipes on those nights.

Dinner out, this weekend my sister was in town so I didn’t have to plan meals because luckily I live in the same town as my mom, so. I take the break when I get it.

Overall reviews:

Great. We loved it all. The only complaint is about the enchiladas. It’s 5 points for 1 enchilada and that does not include the sour cream I so desperately wanted. I ate two, and it was very filling. There’s an alternate version that I’m trying soon so we’ll see. But they WERE delicious.

The cajun shrimp were sooooooooo good, would be perfect for a colder night. Pro tip: in my oven at least, they needed an extra 10 minutes. And be so careful when opening. Don’t judge me. I burned myself a lot. And yes, I’m aware things that come out of the over are hot.

Side note: I don’t know if I love how this looks, if there’s any suggestions for a more cohesive or aesthetically pleasing format, I’m all ears.

I love overnight oats! They are literally the easiest thing in the world, I can prep them for the whole week which makes my mornings a thousand times easier. This is great for anyone who has to worry about other people in the morning, or just wants to sleep a little later and wants something they can just grab and go. Best part: they’re mobile. I alternate ingredients sometimes, but very rarely. I don’t need much variety for breakfast for some reason, so these are so perfect. I’ve been using this recipe for such a long time I honestly don’t know where I got it from anymore. But here it is:

You’ll need mason jars, by the way. I’m sure someone out there has found something else that works for them, but these are perfect for me.

Ingredients:

1/2 c uncooked oats (I use quick oats)

1 scoop protein powder (optional)

1 tbs chia seeds (optional)

1/2 c milk of choice (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but I’ve been meaning to try it with chocolate almond milk)

1/2 cup chopped fruit

1/2 banana

This is how I layer it, because sometimes I find that if you add the milk last, the protein powder doesn’t always get completely mixed in and I hate chunks of powder in my oats. So I put 1/4 c milk in first, then the oats, powder and chia seeds, then the other 1/4 c milk. Stir it up, add the fruit, stir that up too. Put the lid on and shake it.

Just shake the shit out of it.

I make 5 of these every Sunday after I go grocery shopping so the fruit is freshest. If you don’t want to do all 5 that day, soak the fruit you’re going to use in a vinegar/water solution (1 part vinegar to 3 parts water) for 15 minutes then rinse and refrigerate.

With the protein powder, chia seeds, and my brand of milk, this is 7 points. I always try to use protein powder since I don’t get enough protein through out the day, plus I find it helps keep me fuller longer. And you can you use different flavors of powder, currently I’m on vanilla but have used chocolate as well.

Product Placement: I’m not getting paid for this (but would not be mad if somehow a free canister or 2 showed up at my house), but I use Tera’s Whey Protein Powder. It’s ethically sourced and all natural. I won’t be on my soap box long, but I think its really important to be conscious of our environment and what we’re putting in our bodies. okimdone.

There are tons of variations on these from what fruit you use to using yogurt in them, and they’re all delicious. I use strawberries and blueberries, but you can use whatever you want. You can also use frozen fruit, I know that’s a cheaper option.

Here’s the deal. I LOVE PLANNING THINGS. I love knowing the most efficient ways to do everything, I love making a list and getting it done before the day is over, I love the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction I get with every check mark I make. I can’t stress it enough. I ESPECIALLY love when someone doubts one of my lists and I get to squint and smile at them once it all goes exactly how I said it would and then I get to drive the petty home with a loud “TOLD YA.” Keep reading, I’m a nice person.

So, I will post weekly meal plans , a shopping list if we’re lucky, reviews from myself and my husband (more on him later), what workouts I did, and how I’m squeezing it all into my day. Time management is am excellent skill, and I think that’s why I have failed at this so many times. I’m now using my once petty power for good. I’m still petty, let’s be real. I can’t lie to you.

There’s a good point. You can expect honesty. As I said before, I am not a professional by any means, I borrow other people’s ideas from their own websites and condense it down to fit into my life. I will ALWAYS 10000000000000000000% credit my sources and give links to their pages. As I’m just starting out, I rarely don’t use my own recipes because I’m not confident in my ability to keep it healthy the way I can if I just use others.

My reviews will be honest. Maybe a dish was a real pain in the ass to make but it was really good. Or maybe it was easy and just ok. And maybe my husband wasn’t a huge fan, and if that’s the case, you may want to listen. Homeboy eats everything under the sun and is almost never not hungry, so if he doesn’t like it there may be a reason. Or if it’s something stupid like because there’s a raw onion on it, I’ll let you know he’s just being whiney.

For those of you doing Weight Watchers:

Apparently some people use Smart Points and some people use regular points? Idk. I thiiiiiiink that I use smart points. But when I get a recipe, even if they already provide me with how many points it’s worth, I am a control freak at heart and will put it into my app’s calculator just to be sure. And sometimes they are different. I highly recommend that you do the same.

I will post a couple times a week, if I ever do get any comments, I’ll do my best to respond. If I don’t, please don’t take it personally, I barely respond to text messages and I never check my voicemail. I just press play on them to make the notification go away. I’m awful. But I WANT to hear from you, especially any suggestions or if you think anything is missing.

I also promise not to split up the instructions to a recipe with pictures of raw chicken in bowls. It makes it so much harder to copy and paste that way and I hate it and you do too. I mean, you don’t NEED to know what it looks like when I say, “in a separate bowl, combine chicken and diced tomatoes”. We’re all in agreement that that is self-explanatory and I’m not taking a picture of it. You can also expect pictures that I’ve taken solely with my iPhone.

I promise to ramble, occasionally sneak in pictures of my dog, and to use an excessive amount of hash tags. Tell your friends!

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What’s Up

I am a person who loves food and having a plan. I am also a person who hates working out and change, especially when it is huge and requires a lot of new thinking. I know there are more of you out there, and hopefully my fixation on planning out my latest lifestyle change will help. More details in the "Get To Know Me" opener. Cheers, dudes!